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Let’s be honest, at some point/s in the year we are all a hot mess. Usually it’s around report card time… or, right before a break.

However, there are also those teachers that are hot messes all year long… either you know who I am talking about, or you’re the hot mess.

All of these examples are based on my life… (not currently…it’s summer… but at some point, all of these things have been true for me).

I just want to go on the record and say… if you are not, or never was, a hot mess teacher — you’re a unicorn!!

As a fourth year teacher, I’ve finally eliminated a couple of these phenomenon from my teacher life (not permanently, every once in a while they sneak up on me…but I’m doing better).

I’ve gotten into a routine with writing objectives in my planner… but my biggest accomplishment this past year, was to minimize (I won’t say eliminate) paperwork and keep on top of grading.

Grading Expiration Dates

If you haven’t graded something within 2 days of the students working on it, unless it’s a summative assessment – toss it. The feedback a grade will provide is useless after 2 days… students can no longer make the necessary adjustments to their learning/thinking.

Even better – don’t assign meaningless work that you don’t have time to grade. Assign performance tasks or use technology to formatively assess students – cutting back on manual grading.

Weekly Copies

Develop a system for organizing copies that requires cleaning out every week.

I have a drawer in my filing cabinet that has 5 sections (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…) and each section has a divider for every subject. I also have dividers for ‘to copy’ for master copies.

I have to clear out the folders every week – otherwise I have nowhere to put new copies for the week.

Master Copies

Have binders, folders, a filing cabinet…something – where you can put resources that you want to keep for next year.

I have another drawer in my filing cabinet for math and reading standards, there are also dividers for writing, science, and social studies. I put master copies of new resources in these folders – so as I am given a resource or as I find one… I have somewhere to put it. If it’s too complicated to put these masters away immediately – make a folder/divider for “to file”… and file masters away weekly.

That’s about it… it’s not rocket science, but it definitely took me some time to find a system that works for me. This may not be your system… but the key is to have a home for every type of paper that may be bestowedupon you, by students, parents, administrators, and coworkers. And…. throw things out!!! At the end of every day I make sure that all loose papers have been put away… it takes all of 2-3 minutes and saves my sanity!

Were you a hot mess teacher last year? Are you currently a hot mess teacher? Or a recovering hot mess teacher like me?

How do you keep organized with paperwork? Let us know in the comments – heaven knows we can use all the tips and advice we can get!!

It becomes a free for all – students rushing to pack up – the teacher yelling last minute reminders, trying to get a handle on the chaos – the first bus is called – Carlos runs out without his permission slip…

Finally the room is silent and void of students. As the teacher catches her breath amidst the war zone (well, it might as well be). The next ten minutes are spent stacking forgotten chairs, throwing away questionable tissues, and wrangling AWOL pencils.

What if I told you that this is not the only way. There is another way, and it’s pretty simple to implement. It simply requires consistency and clear expectations.

After my first year teaching, I was FED UP with dismissal and ending my day frazzled and relieved to have my students gone. That’s not the teacher I wanted to be, and it’s not the type of environment I wanted for my students. Also, our students often live in chaotic homes – I wanted dismissal to be one last moment of calm for them, before they had to go home.

DISCLAIMER:

My students last year could not handle going to the carpet… here is my variation on the above mentioned routine… it may also be a better option for you?

3 Essential Things to Remember

This process takes some time at first – so make sure to begin dismissal early for the first few weeks

Be consistent – make sure students understand your expectations – if a student talks – send them back…

They should become more efficient every day — you could start timing them and see if they can beat their “best time”

The reason why dismissal is so crazy is because we feel like we have a time limit and if the students don’t leave as they’re called…That being said – DO NOT PANIC!! Send students back to their seats if they talk… what’s the worst thing that can happen? You have to call to have a bus held for a student? Do it! Students will know if you feel powerless during dismissal and they’ll take advantage of it. Just remember to leave enough time for this process as students are learning who is boss…I mean, as they are learning the new routine. But in all seriousness, dismissal habits can be difficult to break, but it’s possible and oh so worth it!

If the process is going a little slow… you can always have 2 students packing up at a time… maybe a boy and a girl.

The last step should be a goodbye ritual between you and your students – I always offer my students a handshake, high five, or hug… this year I may throw in a fun “secret” handshake! The students know that they cannot walk out my door until they say goodbye to me.

How do you handle dismissal in your classroom? I’m always looking for new ideas and as we all know, what may have worked this year, with this group of students, may not work with my next group of students! PLEASE share your ideas/procedure in the comments below!

If you try one of these procedures, please let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear feedback! 🙂

I don’t know about your custodians, but we have the best custodians around. We are in a 60 year old building (give or take a couple years)…so needless to say, there are many challenges that our custodians have to tackle on a daily basis.

Considering that the custodians have to sweep and clean every classroom floor – the least we can do is make sure that the floor is picked up (that is the strangest American saying in my opinion) and chairs are stacked – so that sweeping is as simple as sweeping should be.

That being said…

Teachers have SO much on their plates too – the least important of which is picking up the floor (I really can’t get the image of someone literally trying to pick up a floor out of my head).

Enter….. Mystery Trash.

Sometimes I have to play a second round, because the mystery item is not cleaned up and time ran out. Sometimes we keep going until the room is spotless. There are no steadfast rules – I’ve known teachers who don’t even pick a piece of trash until the room is almost clean… I can’t live on the edge like that. Although, sometimes I miss my item being cleaned up and my students get an opportunity to demonstrate trustworthiness.

I generally play this game during dismissal, but you could do a 20 second round of Mystery Trash as a transition between lessons, before lunch, or after a particularly messy activity. The possibilities are endless.

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing students put ANYTHING and EVERYTHING away…they straighten… they tidy…. it’s AAHHHMAAAZING!!

Have you ever played Mystery Trash or a version of it?

If so, does it work for you? If not, do you have a different way to get students to help clean up?

Disclaimer: I’d love to say that we don’t have to play this game… that my students take such pride and ownership in our classroom that the extrinsic reward is never necessary… but let’s be real…. that’s still a work in progress, and if I ever get that buy in to the same degree as “Mystery Trash” … I’ll be sure to share how I did it. If you’ve done it…please feel free to share!!!

This article says that about half a million teachers move or leave the profession every year. If you work at a high poverty school you’re 50% more likely to decide to leave the school, or teaching.

Teaching is an extremely stressful job. There are many factors that can make it even more stressful.

Financial instability (we all know teachers don’t go into the profession expecting to make a lot of money, however, the reality can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow).

School district expectations (there are always new initiatives coming down the pipeline, putting pressure on schools – especially low performing or high poverty schools).

Unsupportive administration (when a teacher does not feel supported by his/her principal – they will be miserable, and sometimes they are even bullied by administration, which can make their job almost unbearable).

Negative coworkers (put a group of overly stressed out, tired, sometimes bitter teachers together – and you’re asking for a negative atomic bomb – negativity is like a cloud of toxic gas…it spreads and makes more and more people negative).

Difficult parents (parents who second guess your decisions constantly can cause a lot of stress for a teacher)

But – for each of these factors, there are easy solutions to help keep your spirits up, stoke your passion, and keep your love of teaching at the forefront of your mind! Especially right now, when you’ve already been stressed out for almost 3 marking periods… this last stretch is always the hardest.

8 Things You Can Do To Avoid Being A Statistic

1.Find a mantra that reminds you to go into each day with a positive attitude – determined to make it special, no matter what! Here is my personal mantra…

You know how you refuse to let anything small ruin your birthday – you’re determined it’s going to be a good day. (At least, that’s what I do on my birthday, I’m really hoping I’m not the only one!) Why not approach everyday with that same determination to be happy?

If you subscribe to my newsletter – you should have received a mobile background image of this mantra. I hope it brings you the same focus & joy it’s started to bring me. If you haven’t signed up yet – to make sure you don’t miss any other exclusive freebies – sign up here.

2. Any chance you get – put on music that you LOVE and sing and dance! It can be in the car on your way to work, or when you get into your classroom in the morning, or even during transitions with your kids! You can’t be in a bad mood when you’re dancing, singing, and laughing! You may need to step out of your comfort zone a little for this one – but you won’t regret it. I know this is a favorite among some of my teacher friends… 🙂

3.You can’t control everything – so why stress about the things you have no control over? Your administrator wants you to complete one hundred papers, and report back on the math data, and don’t forget to find time to change your bulletin boards! Do your best to do what is required – you have to prioritize… you know your admin well enough to know what the nonnegotiable things are. Don’t let the things you cannot change or control stress you out.

4. Testing? Sure it’s important (kinda) but it’s not the be all and end all. You’re a great teacher- so you know that those standardized tests are not an accurate measure of how far your students have come this year. So, make them as fun as you can for your students – but take the pressure off of them, and yourself.

5.Stay away from negative teachers – avoid the teachers lounge. Make a commitment to yourself to not participate in any griping or venting. Delegate one close friend to be the person you can reach out to when you really just need to get some frustrations off your chest – but there is no need to share every bad moment with 10 other teachers – it’s only going to bring them down too.

6. Bring fun into your classroom – plan FUN lessons… it may take some extra effort on your part, but it’s not just for your kids (and we all know that students are more successful when they’re having fun and actively engaged in the lessons) but it’s also for you! Think about your favorite teaching moment…were you having fun? Were your kids having fun? It’s TOTALLY worth it! If you can’t control the lessons being taught (maybe your school uses a scripted program, or you’re a resource teacher) – bring holidays into the classroom. The Whimsical Teacher shared this idea on periscope, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time – it can be as simple as a note on the board and one aspect of a lesson themed to the holiday, or the music you play during writing could relate to the holiday… anything to make each day unique and fun.

7. Find positive teachers who inspire you and help keep you focused on your passion for teaching! There is a whole community of amazingly talented and passionate teachers out there!! They can help give you ideas for fun lessons, and bringing the fun into your classroom. They can also help remind you each day of what’s important and why we do what we do. You can connect with teachers like this in Teach Happy Membership – it’s an awesome community of teachers dedicated to supporting one another. Sheila Jane is the founder of this community and her life mission is to help prevent teacher burnout — so it’s definitely a treasure trove of resources and happiness for teachers! If you don’t want to join membership – do yourself a favor and at least sign up for her newsletter!

8. The most important thing you can do to help prevent burn out, is to remember why you started teaching. Focus on the students – no matter what is happening in your building or district, you get to spend the whole day with kids who want nothing more than to feel loved and respected. Have fun with them – get to know them… close your door and focus on having a great day in your classroom.

All of that being said… if you have tried some of these things and you’re still truly unhappy… you may need to find a school that is a better fit for you, or if you’ve tried that and you still can’t beat the burnout … it might be time to soul search and determine if being a teacher is your true passion. It’s definitely not for everyone, and it takes a lot of courage to truly reflect on your career choice and decide it’s not for you. However, if that is a painful thought — before you give up on teaching altogether – try some related positions that may be less stressful for you… don’t give up entirely without exploring all of your options.

At the end of the day you have to do what is best for you. Don’t worry about what other people will think, or how your decisions reflect on you. Your happiness should be your primary concern – it affects you, your family, your students… #beyou and own it!

I’d love to hear from you. Have you found your zen in teaching yet? Did you use any of these strategies? Are you struggling and at risk of burning out? If you try any of these, I’d love your feedback!

If you are adding a post to the link up – you can add the actual link up to your post too, so that your readers can see the other posts & blogs that have linked up. You just get the InLinkz code here and add it to your blog.

As teachers we all know how important it is to take the temperature of the room. To figure out if our students are following along and understanding the lesson. But, sometimes that can be difficult – we can do a “thumbs up, thumbs down” or “vote with your feet/toes” or even an every student response with white boards. However, there is an easier, more effective, and more efficient way to do this. There is an app called Plickers that has changed the way I check for understanding in my classroom.

In this post you will find:

Pros & cons to using plickers

Ideas for using plickers in your classroom

Student reviews about plickers

What you need to know in order to use Plickers tomorrow (checklist freebie included)

Ways You Could Use Plickers in Your Classroom and at Your School:

formative assessments

take the temperature of the room (surveys)

self reflection (I use them with this daily outcome recording/reflection sheet)

lunch choice count collection

check in during rotations (from across the room)

staff surveys

I recently did a Periscope tutorial on Plickers. In this 10 minute video you will learn everything you need to know in order to start using Plickers in your classroom tomorrow! You can also use this checklist (a freebie only available to my blog followers/readers) to ensure you’ve done everything you need to do before trying it out (it’s not complicated at all). For other exclusive freebies – be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter!

**If you’ve read this far – you deserve a special tip: I write the letter choices on the back of the Plicker cards (very very small) to help students ensure they put the correct letter choice up)**

I’d love to hear from you!

If you’ve tried Plickers before – let me know what you used it for and how it went in your classroom. If you’ve never tried it – let me know if you’re going to give it a try now…

If you’ve written a blog post on technology in the classroom (doesn’t have to be plickers) — join my link up below. And if you’d like to join up again next month – sign up for my tech link up newsletter here.

I just want to thank you for reading my blog while it undergoes a metamorphosis… I recently changed the title of my blog, from Mrs B (4th Grade Teacher) to Learning Wholeheartedly. Now I’m in the process of updating my blog with my new colors, logo, header, etc. More on that in a little bit, first, I’d like to provide some background on the name change.

I have loved learning for as long as I can remember. Now, don’t get me wrong, I did not always love learning in the traditional sense. Up until 7th grade I was an average student – maybe slightly above average. I was always in the top class, but never really put much effort into my academics until high school. That being said, I was always interested in “self-help” books (now more preferably labeled personal development books). From a very young age I would browse this section of our public library. I have always been hungry to learn new things – especially things that would help me grow as a person.

I have also always hungered for human connections. I look back on my days at school and although I did not get along with everyone all the time, I did develop friendships with many different groups of people. I believe I’ve always tried to be authentically me, and live wholeheartedly. As I get older, and read more books and meet more like-minded people, I feel like I’m developing a better understanding what that means. This is also why I’m 100% content with turning 30 years old this year… because I feel more ME than I’ve ever felt!! I can’t wait to share more about this journey of wholehearted living (and teaching – because it definitely comes out in my teaching too) with you.

This is another reason why I am so grateful to have made the friends that I have made through periscope, blab, instragram, and teachers pay teachers. One of those friends is Ashley (Ms. Idealistic) from Canada.

Ash is one of the most down to earth persicopers that I have had the privilege of getting to know. She also happens to be a tech and design guru!! She hosts a weekly blab with the iteachtvnetwork called Teaching Tech, every Tuesday at 8pm (EST). Ashley is also one of the most generous and helpful people I’ve met! She designed my logo, my header/banner, and my new signature – and has been SO helpful with my whole “rebranding” – giving me great advice and collaborating with me (which is not easy, since I really struggle with making decisions). If you are on the market for a new logo or just want some design or coding advice – please please check out Ms. Idealistic’s shop here!! She is amazing to work with and very reasonably priced!!

I am so excited for the future of this blog and cannot wait to connect with you more and hopefully collaborate with you! If you’re interested in joining my monthly tech link up – you can sign up for the newsletter here, or read more about it here.

I’d also love to get some feedback on my blog as it continues it’s metamorphosis… What do you think of the name change, the new header, logo, etc?